The Missing Star From A Constellation
by Eva Inevitable
Summary: The Straw Hats have recently lost a beloved nakama and the crew must harden their hearts' in order to carry on with their adventure. But a certain swirly-brow cook is not coping as well and there is a hole in his heart where she used to be. Synopsis is deliberately vague and the drawing is my own.


**I do** **not ****own One Piece that epic honour belongs to Oda**

 **Some beautiful One Piece songs you could listen to while you read:**

 **Bet Your Life On It**

 **Gold and Oden**

 **Robin no Kokoro Kimaru (Mother's Love)**

 **Grand Line Island (Cold)**

 **If You Live**

* * *

 **The Missing Star From A Constellation**

The Thousand Sunny glided across the ocean under a burning orange and pink sky. The usual laughter occupied the ship as Usopp sat fishing beside Luffy, while Franky was hammering the spot near Zoro, who was sleeping with his katanas beside him. However, there was a sadness in the air that underpinned the usual upbeat atmosphere of the ship. The crew were trying to mask their pain, as seemingly invisible as it was. But it was there if you looked closely enough.

The kitchen door crashed open as Sanji twirled across the deck, effortlessly balancing an assortment of drinks on two trays.

"Nami-Swaaaan! Robin-Chwaaaan!" He spun over to where Nami and Robin were sitting and swiftly placed the drinks on their table. Robin smiled before lifting her tea up to her lips.

"Thank you."

Nami didn't respond. She silently sipped her drink and bit her lip as Sanji gracefully bowed and twirled away once more. She could sense that something was off with the cook. There was no spark in his eyes when he spoke and lately it was as if he was merely putting on an act that everything was okay. Often it did appear that the blonde seemed to take the concept of nakama one way since he would do anything to help out any of them, but when it came to himself he pushed them away. Never asking for help. It was this calm and collected exterior that allowed him to glide through life like it offered no resistance.

Robin could also see through the cook. Sanji had lost a piece of himself. They all had…but Sanji had taken the recent loss of their astronomer personally. Yet, when the Straw Hats had all wept for their astronomer as she faded away…the cook did not cry. Even Zoro, as composed as he usually appeared to be, was not immune when Brook played a final lament on his violin before their nakama drifted away forever. Sanji on the other hand, stood in complete silence staring up at the starry sky. He had said almost nothing for days, uttering his only words at meal times. His silence was far more painful than any screaming he should have done.

"Oi! Oi! I think I've caught something!" Usopp yanked back on his fishing rod and Luffy grinned and clapped almost dropping his own fishing rod into the ocean. Luffy refused to be sad. He still believed that he could get her back. She was his nakama after all, which to Luffy, meant that he was never giving up on her. Ever. Fate be damned.

The rod jerked and were it not for Franky, Usopp would have crashed into the sea and been dragged away by some colossal monster.

"Just let it go!" Chopper wailed but with the help of Franky, Usopp was able to yank the rod backwards. They quickly discovered that the rod had snapped and whatever they had snagged devoured the bait and left. Luffy pouted in disappointment. But not for long as his face immediately transformed into a smile and he whacked Usopp on the back repeatedly while he chanted for Sanji.

"Sanji! Sanjiiiiiii! I'm hungry!" Luffy's head suddenly swung around to the cook who was leaning by the door. Sanji didn't snap back at Luffy like he normally would. Instead the corner of his mouth curved up ever so slightly as he blew a puff of smoke into the air.

"Tsk. You just ate you baka," He unfolded his arms and pushed open the door. "But I'll fix something up," he replied quietly before entering the kitchen. Nami and Robin shared a knowing look and Zoro cracked open an eye as the door swung shut behind the cook.

In no time at all, Sanji had prepared some masterfully sliced sandwiches and a vibrant fruit salad. He had even made brownies which was a rarity. The world around him faded when he cooked and all that mattered was the task at hand. He brought a plate out onto the deck and left it to be devoured and placed an extra by Nami and Robin. When they thanked him he bowed and grinned in delight before going off to feed more hungry nakama. He left a tray for Chopper who was sorting through some medicinal supplies and before he had even realised what he was doing he climbed up the ladder and opened the latch into her room.

"Enya-Chaaaan!" As the hatch bounced off the floor a painful silence was there to greet him along with the seemingly infinite starry sky that she had painted onto the ceiling. His heart seemed to freeze in his chest and he didn't move for several movements. Reality suddenly rushed to catch up with him.

Immediately he began climbing back down the ladder when he stopped on the fourth rung. Before he lost his nerve, he climbed back up and shut the trapdoor behind him. He hadn't been able to bring himself to come into her room. Looking around at the books piled precariously high, the abandoned telescope in the corner, her shiny deadly black daggers wedged into the far wall, the open sketchbooks…he felt a lump form in the back of his throat. He coughed to clear it and quickly made for the hatch, but not before an all too familiar notebook with a velvet cover caught the light and interrupted his flight from the painful room. With great precision, Sanji began manoeuvring himself around the towers of hardbacks only to ruin his caution when he tripped over a globe. Checking that all was in order he bent down and held the notebook in his hands. Tilting it left and right, the silver stars caught the dim light.

He had bought it for her as a gift...it felt like another lifetime ago. He ran his hand across the soft velvet before he opened it. She had sketched an intricate constellation and her beautiful handwriting annotated the entire page. He laughed at her witty comments, reminders and, of course, her infamous puns and poetry. It felt nice to hear the eccentric astronomer's voice again. When Sanji got to her drawings of each of the straw hat members he paused. She had captured everyone in such perfect moments. Sanji made a soft noise that could have been a laugh. One of her biggest insecurities had been that she hadn't been on as many adventures as the rest of them so she feared that they would always look at her as the outsider. Sanji only hoped she realised how wrong she was.

When he turned the page to her drawing of him he smiled. She hadn't drawn him cooking which was a surprise. Instead, she had drawn him laughing on the beach.  
 _It must have been when that shitty marimo got lost in the massive sandcastle Franky made. Baka._

He noticed that something had fallen out of the book. He plucked the small piece of paper from the floor and unfolded it. The few lines of black writing read:

 _Sanji,_

 _All I wanted to say is that you weren't just a star to me._

 _You were the whole damn sky._

 _Love always_

 _\- Enya_

Sanji tucked her note back into the book and closed his eyes. Holding the notebook to his chest he sank to the ground with his back against the wall. Alone and in the room that she had once called home, under her painted dark stars…a shuddering whine wrenched up through the cook's chest and throat as his head fell into his hands. Sanji finally let himself cry for Enya the Astronomer of the Straw Hats.

The girl who had stolen the Love-Cook's heart.

* * *

 **I suppose this is a personal pilot chapter for me XD I just had the urge to write this but I never intended for this to be the** **beginning to my story but here we are. I don't know if I'm** **ready to delve into writing my One Piece OC just yet but I might go ahead. I've had this** **story in my head for a long time and I just had to write it even if I'm just writing it for myself.**

 **DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK THERE WILL BE A NEW NAKAMA AT WANO KINGDOM? I do!**

 **If you're a Jellal x Erza fan feel free to check out Free Fernandes and as for One Piece I have a small oneshot for Zoro X Kuina. Have a nice day!**

 **Stay Epic**

 **-Eva Inevitable**


End file.
